Thrust-bearing.



R. SiEGFRlED.

THRUST BEARING.

APPLICATION mso MAjmo, 5912.

Patented, Feb. 6, 1.917.

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- INVENT'OR WITNESSES: v

ATTORNEY mL Nan/ns sums ca.. naw-umm wasmmzwn. u c.

* an sans ROBERT SIEGFRIED, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0WESTINGHOU'SE ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OFPENNSYLVANIA.

THRUsT-BEARING.

Specification of Letters Patent;

vraalte@a renie, 1917.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, 'ROBERT Srnermnn, a rthrough it. citizen of theUnited States, and a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Alleghenyand State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inThrust- Bearings, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to shaft bearings and it has special reference'tothrust and guide bearing for vertical-shaft machines.

The object of any invention is to provide an automatically lubricatedbearing, 'of the class above indicated, that shall be adapted to operate-under relatively high-thrust pressures.

Another object of'my invention is to provide a relatively simple anddurable ball'- bearing structure, in'which the space occupied by thebearing balls is so restricted as to prevent churning orbubbling of thelubricating fluid.- I

In my Patent No. 1,204,505, filed of even date herewith, I have shownvand described a guide .bearing for vertical-shaft machines which isautomatically lubricated and embodies means for preventing churning orbubbling of the lubricating Huid when the machine with Which theibearing is asso# ciated, is operated at relatively high speeds.

According to my present invention, I provide a ball thrust bearing,combined with a guide bearing for vertical shaft machines,

which is so constructed-as to secure, by other means, the -sa-meadvantages as are attributed to the guide bearing-of my patentl abovereferred to.

`Figure V1 of the accompanying drawings is a sectional elevation of aportion of a vertical-shaft machine embodying the lthrust bearing of myinvention. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional plan views respecti-vely on thelines II-II and III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the apparatus here shown comprises astationary frame 1, a vertical shaft 2, to which a pulley 3 is secured,and supporting rails 4L, only one of which is shown.

A substantially cylindrical bearing housing section 5 is integral withthe stationary frame 1 and 'is provided with a plurality of radial ribs6 on which a cylindrical bearing member 7 is supported. The member 7 isprovided With a Babbitt or other soft metal lining 8, and the lower endof the ver- 4 tical shaft; 2 islitted into it and extends A housingsection-9, in the form cfa cup or \vell, is removably secured to theframe 1 by bolts `10 (onlyone` of which is shown) and coperates withthev housing section 5 to inclose lthe'lower-endl of the' vertical shafty'and the bearing members. f

-The entire Weightof the rotating parts Gif the machine is supported ona plurality of steel balls 1-1, Which-areconfined' t'o a circular pathof'tra'vel ina substantially hori zontal plane vby aball race. Thislrace comprises a bearing vring-12 on Which'the balls are mounted, apair of concentric'g'uidcV rings 13-y and 14, lthe adjacent surfaces ofwhich are "preferably shapedv asshown in Fig. l to conform to a centralsection of the balls and a bearing ringll'),l which is secured to theshaft-'2and rests Yon thelbearing balls oppositey the ring 12.,

v VThe'bearlng ring 12 s provided vv-ith a convex spherically-'curvedsurface`16 Which is adjustably supported-on a corresponding concavesphericallycurved surface 17 of a ring 18 which is mounted in thehousing section 9. The -shaft 2 is provided With a stepped projection 19lat its lower end, havinga shoulder 20ivvhich supports the bearingringland shoulders 21 and 22 Which respectively constitutefstops orguides for rings'23 and 24.' 1 f The lower end of they shaft 2is-provided with a recess 25,"\vith which a plurality of sets 0f radialholes 26, 27 and 28 communicate. .Theholes 27 are approximately in thecentral'plane of thejbearing 'balls and terminate opposite the guidevring V14, the inside diamet'erof which isv slightly larger than theshaft atthis point.v j

The ring 23 is rotatably mounted on the shaft projection and isI held inplace by the ring 24 vvhich is shrunk upon, or is other- Wise secured tothe end of the shaft projection. The ring23 isloosely fitted into thering 12 and is intended to maintaina co- A member 7 is provided with aplurality of radial holes 33 terminating in slots 34 from which oil isdischarged into the housing.

An oil-thrower ring 35 is secured to the shaft just above the bearingmember 7 and is provided with a flange 36 which overhangs the top of thehousing section 5. The ring is provided with an oil discharge pro-ajection 87 and the upper end of the housing is provided with an annulargroove 38, to prevent oil or other lubricating fluid from traveling upthe shaft or leaking out of the housing.

The housing section 9 constitutes an oil well and is connected by a pipe39 to a sight tube 40, which is located outside of the frame of themachine.

An annular baffle member 41 is mounted on the integral ring 18 and thehousing section is provided with radial ribs 42 which' coperate with thering 23 and the bearing members 12 and 15 to prevent churning andvbubbling of the oil in the well, when Vthe shaft is operating atrelatively high speeds, by confining the oil in the immediate vicinityof the rotating parts and the bearing balls to a small compass.

At the same time, the holes 27 and 28 and a series of radial holes 43 inthe baffle mem- Y ber 41 permit the oil to circulate from the well tothe bearing members.

In operation, centrifugal action forces the oil in the radial holes 26outwardly and upwardly through the grooves 30 to the groove 32, fromwhich it is discharged through the holes 33 and the slots 34 to thehousing.

The oil in the holes 27 and 28 is forced outwardly into a comparativelysmall annular space in which the balls operate. The oil is dischargedfrom this space through the radial holes 43 of the baffle member 41. Thering 18 is separated from the body of the housing by radial ribs 44 and,consequently, the oil flows freely from the well under the ring 18 andinto the recess 25 in the shaft.

Other means may, of course, be provided for guiding the bearing ballsand it is evidentY that various modifications in size and arrangement ofparts may be effected within the spirit and scope of my invention.

YI claim as my invention:

1. A thrust bearing comprising an oil Well, annular bearing membersoperating `ro'ection which terminate near the bearinf)` l E' balls andthrough which oil is supplied thereto.

8. A thrust bearing comprising an oil well, a stationary supporting ringin the well having a concave spherically curved surface, a bearingringhaving a convex surface adjustably mounted on the supporting ring, asubstantially vertical shaft having a longitudinally reces-sed shaftprojection extending through the ring members into the oil well,interposed bearing balls between the bearing ring and the end of theshaft, and radial passages in the shaft projection communicating withthe'longitudinal recess and terminating near the bearing balls.

4. A thrust and guide bearing comprising a stationary cylindricalhousing member, a g5 lubricating-Huid receptacle secured thereto andforming apart of the bearing housing,

a bearing member pivotally supported in the receptacle, a cylindricalbearing member supported in said cylindrical housing memleo ber, a shaftextending through the cylindrical bearing member and having a recessedprojection extending through the bearing member in the receptacle, andradial passages communicating with the recess in the shaft projectionfor supplying lubricating I fluid to the cylindrical bearing member andto the bearing member within the receptacle.

5. A thrust and guide bearing comprising a stationary cylindricalhousing member, a lubricating-fluid receptacle secured thereto andforming a part of the bearing housing, rings forming-a ball race andpivotally supported within the receptacle, a plurality of bearingballsoperated in the ball race, a cylindrical bearing member supportedin said cylindrical housing member, a shaft extending through thecylindrical bearing member and having a recessed projection extendingthrough the bearing member in the receptacle, and radial passagescommunicating with the recess in the shaft projection for supplyinglubricating fluid to the cylindrical bearing member and toy the bearingballs.

6. A thrustV bearing comprising an oil well, a substantially verticalshaft having a recessed projection extending into the well, ringsforming a ball race in the well at the end of the shaft, a plurality ofbearing halls in said race, and radial passages in the shaft projectionwhich terminate near the bear- I ing balls and through Which oil issupplied thereto, and a baffle member surrounding the ball race andconfining the oil in the immediate vicinity of the bearing balls to arelatively small volume.

7. A thrust bearing comprising an oil Well, a stationary supporting ringin the Well having. a concave spherically curved surface, a bearing ringhaving a convex surface adjustably mounted on the supporting ring, asubstantially vertical shaft having a longitudinally recessed shaftprojection eX- tending through the ring members into the oil Well,interposed bearing balls between the bearing ring and the end of theshaft, and radial passages in the shaft projection communicating withthe longitudinal recess and terminating opposite the bearing balls, anda. perforated annular baiiie member mounted on the supporting ring andrestricting the quantity of oil in the immediate vicinity of the bearingrings.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 1st dayof-March, 1912.

ROBERT SIEGFRIED. Witnesses B. B. HINES, M. CLARA MERZ.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

